Hermeneutics - Lesson 10

Hermeneutics

Dr. Todd Miles

nt310-10

Biblical Theology

Lesson Transcript

Well, the story of David and Goliath is a lot of fun. I talked about how to read a story in flow, but the biggest context, of course, where you have to consider that the flow of the story is the Bible as a whole. And that leads us to the idea of the role of biblical theology in hermeneutics and recall axiom number two. I said hermeneutics is first and foremost a theological endeavor. That is, the commitment to finding a meaning in the texts carries with it in our priori affirmation of the reality of authors, including but not limited to the Supreme Divine author. That affirmation of the Divine author also includes affirmations about his character, and we talked some about that. Out of the Divine character flows authority. God has the right, I said to establish meaning because of who He is and what he has done. And then in a just previous section, we highlighted briefly a number of theological affirmations about the Speaker, about God and the reader, us as humans, with those affirmations or presuppositions recall. You know, God is knowable. God is a is communicative, He speaks that sort of thing with those affirmations or presuppositions guiding us and directing our study, we now turn to the act of interpretation itself. And I said in Axiom number three, the Bible is God's speech to us, for God engages us to solidify our thinking. We studied Speech Act theory, where I argued that the primary purpose of our speech is to do something, and it's the same with God in order to know what it is that God is trying to do with His speech, we must still interpret the speech correctly in order for communication to take place for the Speech Act, if you will, to accomplish the author's desired purpose. Now, before we begin the process of interpretation, we have to have the big picture in mind, and I've alluded to this and stated it many times already about how we need to understand the story as a whole, that every verse fits into the entire canon. I will argue now that it is folly foolish to attempt to interpret the Bible correctly without correctly understanding the Bible. You know, that sounds like almost like a tautology, like I'm saying the same thing twice, but or maybe it sounds like a circular statement. How is it possible? How can we interpret the Bible correctly without understanding the Bible? How don't we understand the Bible by interpreting correctly? Which is It is. It's like a cart before the horse sort of thing? Well, I don't think so. I'm going to try to make some sense of this. What is biblical theology? Biblical theology is a means of looking at one particular event or passage in the Bible and relating it to the total picture, the entire the story as a whole. It allows us to relate any Bible story to the whole message of the Bible and therefore to ourselves. For example, what if you're reading Leviticus chapter 19, verse 19 that says, You shall keep my statutes, you shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. Okay. I can do that. You shall not, because I have no cattle. You shall not. So your field with two kinds of seed. I didn't like gardening anyway. This is great. Don't have to do that. Nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material. Hmm. That's going to be a hard one, because I think virtually every single thing that I own is made of multiple kinds of fabric. What am I supposed to do with this? I have to throw out my entire wardrobe. What does this have to do with me? Does have nothing to do with me to say, Oh, that's Old Testament. Well, Exodus chapter 20, verse 13, something that's even before that we read you shall not murder. Most people probably think you shall not murder has some bearing on our lives. At least I hope so. What does that have to do with you? How do you relate the Old Testament to the New Testament? Can you do it? Do you do it? How do you relate the New Testament to the Old Testament? Can you do that? Are you supposed to do that? The task of biblical theology is to examine the development of the biblical story from the Old Testament through a crisis in the New Testament. Seek to uncover the interrelationships between the two parts. Now you you, you are taking some systematic theology probably, or at least that's available to you. And you might ask, how is that different? How systematic theology different than biblical theology? Well, biblical theology is a way of understanding the Bible as a whole, trying to determine what is the theology that is explicitly taught in the Bible. It takes the Bible on its own terms, doesn't impose questions upon the text. Biblical theology allows as much as possible the Bible to establish the agenda and give the message. Systematic Theology. We bring our questions to the text. We bring our vocabulary, our agenda. So we want to answer life's ultimate questions in systematic theology, biblical theology. We really can't do a biblical theology of something that's not in the Bible that way. There's no such thing as that example I often use like stem cell research can't do a biblical theology of stem cell research. We need to do a systematic theology of that so we can know whether it's appropriate and right and good. But you can't do a biblical theology of something that's not in the Bible. So our goal, as I'm talking about this, is we want to do what's often called a thick reading of scripture rather than a thin reading. To read the Bible thinly is to read each text as an isolated text. Apart from the whole, it's just a stand alone verse. To read the Bible thickly though, is to attempt to read each passage in light of the entire canon. Thinking about how the Bible informs our understanding of any particular passage. Now, our hermeneutic must also recognize that Scripture is a word act revelation. Now, what? What do I mean by word and act? All of God's redemptive acts are revelatory of Him, also of his plan, his purposes. And throughout time, God has revealed himself in many different ways, not the least of which I'd mentioned earlier through special revelation was mighty acts. Recall that I mentioned that the Egyptians, for example, had a special revelation when they were crossing the Red Sea. They knew that the Lord fought for Israel and not for the Egyptians. But God's mighty redemptive acts in the Bible are never left to speak for themselves. They are always accompanied by verbal communications of truth, and there's a general order in Scripture. First God announces what He's going to do. Then He does it. And then he explains what he just did. We find this in in the book of Exodus, for example, with the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. God announced what he was going to do. Then he did it and then reflects on that. We see this also in the giving of the law where God says, Gather the people, I'm going to give you a lot. Then he gave the law and then this whole bunch of reflection upon it. Prophecies of Messiah coming. Jesus shows up on the scene in the Gospels and in the rest of the New Testament interprets or explains what just happened with the coming of Jesus Christ. And if we think about it, the Bible itself is a mighty act of God, actually. So our hermeneutic needs to recognize this are means of interpretation, has to recognize that the Scripture is itself a progressive revelation. And so revelation, just like redemption, is going to unfold in a progressive manner, that there's a beginning to the story, and then it moves along to the climax. So how does that relate to hermeneutics that probably you agree with all of that? Well, it relates this way. Axiom number nine. We cannot interpret the Bible correctly unless we understand the story of Scripture as a whole. And the reason for that is that every verse in the Bible, as I've said, fits into that story in a significant way. Not every verse in the Bible is going to have the same bearing upon the story. It's not going to drive the story as much as other verses do. But every verse in the Bible fits in in a significant way. Graham Goldsworthy writes this in his book, "According to Plan," "Biblical theology is essential for hermeneutics. The sound interpretation of the Bible presupposes some kind of biblical theological understanding. Biblical theology makes the difference between the Bible as the Word of God to us now and as merely an interesting historical record. When we look at God's laws given to Israel through Moses, we see them as part of the total revelation of God which climaxed in the coming of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are therefore more deeply concerned to ask in what ways the laws of Moses have meaning for us now." Now, why would he say that? And why w ould I even pull that quote out here? Because of biblical theology, which tells a story and we ourselves are in that story. We're on this side of the cross. We're looking back at the death and resurrection of Jesus. We're looking ahead to his return. But that story in includes involves the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, the giving of the law. We're under new management, I would argue. We don't have to obey the law, but the giving of the law was a vital part of the story that we are a part of right now. Even if you're not Jewish, but are a follower of Christ, you're part of the New Covenant. We can read the Old Testament and think this is our story. It's not where we're at now, but it's a necessary part of our story. Now, what is that story of Scripture? There are a multitude of ideas and proposals. One that I got from Bruce where that I've modified a bit is God's demonstration of His glory through the redemption of his people, that he might dwell with them and the restoration of his kingdom, that his rule might be acknowledged by all. This is accomplished in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the King of that Kingdom, most significantly, through his life, death, resurrection, ascension, and subsequent return to consummate all things in salvation and in judgment. That I think, is the storyline of the Bible. Let me unpack a few of those items. God's glory is the main motivation. Genesis one one. We're told in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. As I said earlier, the Bible assumes the existence of God. It begins with God speaking and acting and what he creates, he declares, to be good. Later on, Genesis 12 were given the call of Abraham, and we find God seeking to bless all the peoples of the Earth through one man and his family. Why did he do this? Not because Abraham or his family was deserving, but because God wanted to do something for himself. Joshua Chapter 24 verse. To prove this, Joshua said to all the people, Hey, I'm going to remind you who you are, Israel. Thus says The Lord, the God of Israel, long ago, your fathers lived to beyond the Euphrates. Terah the father of Abraham and of Nahor, and they served other gods. That's your family history, Israel. Your children of Israel, your children of Abraham. Abraham was an idolatry. Then I took your father, Abraham, from beyond the river. Led him through all the land of Cain and made his offspring many. That's your family history, Israel. Deuteronomy Chapter seven versus six and seven. Moses has the children of Israel poised on the eastern side of the Jordan River. They're ready to go in and take the promised land God gives to that next generation of Israelites who had survived the desert wanderings. The law for again. And he reminds them of this. You are a people holy to the Lord, your God though the Lord, Your God has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession. Out of all the people who are on the face of the earth, it was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you for. You were the fewest of all peoples. But it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that He swore to your fathers that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you. Israel might have been thinking, Hey, that God has hitched his car to our horse. We must be great sheiks, Moses reminds them. Do you know why God loves you? Two reasons. One, He loves you because He loves you. He just chose to love you. Had nothing to do with you. Matter of fact, if you thought about it, he chose the most stiff necked, stubborn people that he could possibly find to prove just how long suffering he is. That's what you bring to the table, Israel. Oh, and then another reason. God loves you because he made a promise. And God always keeps his promises. Why he got performed, the miracles in Egypt and rescue the people. Well, according to Deuteronomy four, no other God had ever done that before. God was making much of himself. To you, it was shown Moses, right, that you might know that the Lord is God. There is no other besides Him. When God manifests his presence to Israel, it is the glory of the Lord that is manifested and the Israelites respond correctly. They are terrified whenever they see it. We walked through David and Goliath when when Goliath faced David. David was motivated by the glory of God. He knew, as I said, that when one defies the armies of living God, one is defying the living God of those armies. David understood that Goliath life was forfeit, that he was literally like a dead man walking at that point. So to David, it was a simple matter. God would demonstrate to all the world that there was a God in Israel who will not be mocked. God would demonstrate to the people who should have known better that God saves not by sword or spear, but through his power. And as I argued in the last session, that's why David was a man after God's own heart. That's why the Messiah would come through him. When Israel stumbled and fell into judgment, why did God redeem them? Not because they deserve it. Isaiah Chapter 48. The Prophet writes for my namesake. I defer my anger for the sake of my praise. I restrain it for you that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not a silver. I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, For my own sake. I do it for how should my name be profaned? My glory. I will not give to another. When the Messiah was born got announced it by sending an angelic host to sing, The Heavenly host sings Glory to God in the highest. See that in Luke, Chapter two. Who is this? Jesus the Messiah? None other than God Himself. The second member of the Trinity. According to Hebrews one, He is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of His nature. He upholds the universe by the word of his power. Prior to the incarnation, the Son's existence. Well, we don't know a lot about it, but we know this because Jesus tells us it was characterized by the glory of God. In Jesus's high priestly prayer in John 17. He prays, Father the hours come glorify your son that the son may glorify you. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. When the sun sent the spirit, what was the primary purpose? According to John 16:14 to glorify the Sun, Jesus said of the Spirit, He will glorify me. When Jesus returns, what will be the response? Philippians Chapter two versus nine and ten. Therefore, God highly exalted him and gave to him the name that is above every name that is the name of Jesus. Every knee will bow in heaven and on Earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. To the glory of God. The Father. And finally, in the new heavens, New Earth. What's the promise? We'll need no sun or moon to shine because the glory of God will be our light. And the lamb of God. Our lamb. Revelation 21:23. That's the glory of God. That was like the first phrase. I'm not going to go through all of it in every phrase in that detail. But let's think about a couple more. I said that God must redeem his people so that he might dwell with them. There's a great promise throughout the Scriptures that I will be your guide. You will be my people. I will dwell in the midst of you. That's the great covenant promise. God created Adam and Eve walked with them in the garden. So in some sense God dwelt with Adam and Eve. But then sin enters the world. God, because He's holy. He removes his presence from Adam and Eve. That is, He removes Adam and Eve from his presence, and he drives them from the garden. God promised, though, that even in the midst of the curse, He would send one who will crush the head of the serpent. Satan, God called Abraham made a covenant with him. He promised to bless all the people of the earth through Abraham, give to him a land, a nation and a name. He promised his presence, I will be your God. You will be my people. As the children of Israel or wandering around in the desert, God instructed the people to erect a tabernacle, and it's here that the presence of God will rest. Where was the tabernacle set up each time They. They made camp right in the middle. Right in the middle. The very center of the camp. God was dwelling with his people. When the temple was built and dedicated, what was the result? First chronicles five, 13 and 14 We read when the song was raised with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments in praise to the Lord for His good, for His steadfast love endures forever. The House, the House of the Lord was filled with the cloud so that the priest could not stand to minister because of the cloud for the glory of the Lord, filled the house of God. This is the presence of the Lord among His people. But if God's going to dwell with His people, He has to remove sin. I don't need to rehearse for you the necessity of an atoning sacrifice for sin. Jesus Christ, the God man substitutes for us. He does for us what we could never do for ourselves. He pays the penalty for our sin. But what is the result? In the incarnation itself, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we have seen his glory glories of the only son from the father full of grace and truth. You might think, Am I doing presents now, or am I doing glory? Which one is it? Well, they interweave together, don't they? We would expect that with one unified author doing one great redemptive act. John, Chapter 14, verse seven Jesus promised to send the spirit of truth. What's the result? Jesus said to his disciples as he introduced the idea of sending the Spirit. He said, You know Him for you, do us with you and we'll be in you. After Pentecost, the spirit was sent. What's that? The presence of God in our lives. Second Corinthians 3:16 tells us. Do you not know that you are God's temple and the God spirit dwells in you? And finally, in the end, we have a consummating promise in Revelation 21. I saw a holy city, New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride, a dawn for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will do away with them and they will be His people and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning nor crying, nor pain any more. For the former things have passed away. God dwells with his perfected people. We could go on about the kingdom ruling that the kingdom rule that extends over all people. God is the Creator. Spy divine right the ruler over all. He promised Abraham on multiple occasions that all the nations would be blessed through him. The Abrahamic, the Mosaic, the Davidic covenants. They provide the framework of the biblical structure and God's going to be true to His promises. And and Israel is the focal point. The promise is that all the nations will eventually come. And who's the key figure in all of this? Well, it's. It's Jesus. The prophetic word, we're told in Hebrews one is completed in Jesus. All prophecy is fulfilled in Christ, Acts 13 verses 32 and 33. David's line is indeed fulfilled in Christ. Romans one three through four. The Davidic Covenant promises are fulfilled in Christ. According to Acts 230, the Old Testament promise of salvation is fulfilled in Jesus. According to second Timothy 3:15, Jesus understood this about himself. He said in John five 39-40 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life and it is they that bear witness about me. Yet you refused to come to me that you may have life. The Pharisees weren't looking for life in all the wrong places. They were looking in the right place, but they just refused to come to Jesus. They refused to recognize him. And then on the road to a mass, when Jesus taught his unsuspecting disciples that it was necessary to Christ had to suffer and die, Luke records these surprising words. Luke 24:27. Beginning with Moses and all the prophets interpreted to them in all the scriptures, the things concerning himself. Is it possible that all of the scriptures point to Jesus? I think so. So when it comes to interpretation, we need to be looking along the way. And I'm not arguing here for extra Jesus. What I'm arguing for is recognizing the big picture of the Bible, the centers on Jesus and interpreting those texts accordingly. So to conclude this session, I want to read another quote from Kevin Van Hooser who writes this about biblical theology. He says biblical theology is not merely a matter of repackaging the conceptual content of the scriptures, but a way of having one's heart, mind and imagination alike, schooled in the ways of seeing and experiencing the world according to the many literary forms and the one canon, which together constitute the word of God written. We're going to pay much closer attention to biblical theology as we walk through the rest of this course. At times we won't always mention it, but it's always there is the broadest context of any particular Bible verse. And because of that, it exercises influence on the meaning of that passage.